I have just come across this fantastic little article in the The Telegraph online. It is entitled “Why a garden office has become the ultimate lockdown must-have” it provides stats to show the massive increase in interest in garden rooms and offices due to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions forcing many of us to work from home.

Kubes Garden Rooms, was founded to support this need for people working from home, families requiring more space and students needing quiet study spaces. The article gives some examples of some beautiful garden offices, and also some price indication. I’m please to say that we are extremely competitive on price as we come in lower than every company mentioned in the article for a garden room of equal quality and bespoke design service.

So if you are looking for extra space, room to work, study or just a tranquil space away from the main home, please get in touch with us we would be happy to provide you with more information and a no obligation quote. I can honestly say a garden office will change your life.

Here’s the article by Jessica Doyle for the Telegraph online…

As we approach the anniversary of Covid-19 restrictions – and, for many, working from home full-time – the way we are thinking about our home work spaces has changed. The kitchen table or tiny desk crammed in next to the spare bed were fine when working in pyjamas was a novelty, but now we need solutions for the long haul, in terms of boosting both productivity and the way we feel about our homes.

Recent research by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) showed that 17 per cent of homeowners are looking to create an office space to support working from home permanently. The issue is how to create a quiet space that will allow us to separate home life from work life: a matter that has been brought to the fore as families have juggled working, homeschooling and living in very close quarters. This may explain why self contained garden rooms have soared in popularity over the past year: searches for ‘garden office’ were already up 72 per cent on the home-improvement website houzz.co.uk by the end of last summer.

‘We have seen an increase in demand from clients with ample garden space, now not only considering the landscaping design, but also prioritising an additional garden room to be used as a recreational retreat or as a work-from-home study,’ says architect Alex Michaelis (michaelisboyd.com), who designed a modern flat-roofed version, clad in charred timber (pictured below), for a family home in London. ‘With lockdown, these are proving to be a welcome haven away from the bustle of busy main houses.’

A custom-designed garden room allows for endless possibilities, aesthetically as well as practically. Another example, by AO Architecture (aoarchitecture.co.uk), lined with marble on the outside and timber on the inside (pictured top), acts as an office during the week and a bar at the weekend, allowing its owners to keep both work and entertaining away from the family spaces of the rest of their home.

Prefab structures that can save on time and costs are similarly in hot demand: the homeware brand Bert & May, known for its covetable patterned tiles, also produces stand-alone ‘Bert’s Boxes’, like little cabins, and has seen a 50 per cent increase in enquiries since the first lockdown started. Its latest, the Study Box (from £33,000, bertsbox.co.uk), is designed specifically as an office, with full-height windows to connect homeworkers with their outside space (pictured below).

The new breed of garden room has a cool, contemporary aesthetic and a focus on improving the concentration levels and overall happiness of whoever is using it. ‘If there is one thing we have all learnt from this pandemic, it’s that our mental and emotional health is hugely impacted by the environment surrounding us,’ says Freddie Sheridan

The costs

• You can pay anything from around £5,000 upwards, including installation, for a prefab structure (but be aware that you will need to have a solid base ready before installation, which could cost an additional £1,000).
• Expect to pay an electrician at least £1,000 to connect to a power supply, plus the cost of digging a trench for the cables, unless you do this yourself.
• If you are keeping expensive equipment in it, consider an alarm such as the Google Nest Cam (£129.95, amazon.co.uk).

The Rules 

Garden buildings at the side or back of the house don’t require planning permission as long as they are less than 2.5m in height, take up no more than 50 per cent of the land around the house, and are no closer to a road than the house itself.

If you live in a conservation area, it must be at the back of the house, and if you live in a listed building you will require planning permission.

‘Building my garden office was the best thing I could have done’

Freelance writer Rachel Ogden on how she created her WFH space​

I built my garden office about five years ago, after I was made redundant and went freelance. I had started out working in our spare room, which was tiny: I wasn’t even able to shut the door. I knew our house couldn’t be extended, so the solution was to install an outbuilding.

I found a specialist company, and decided to have glass doors along one side so that I had a good view. There’s a high window and a skylight to maximise the amount of daylight coming in without causing any privacy concerns. I also wanted a ‘green’ sedum roof to replace the lawn area the studio took up, which has helped to redress the balance of my garden, and attracts wildlife.

I often tell people that building the studio was the best thing I could have done. Not only does it mean I have a dedicated work space, I can close the door on it at the end of a day. It’s proved to be priceless for my well-being and work-life balance.

• Control your light levels: As my office faces north, I didn’t think I’d need a window treatment, but with so much glass, it can be glaringly bright. I opted for vertical blinds for maximum flexibility. During the winter, it’s satisfying to draw them so I’m not looking out at swathes of dark. I also chose cool white LED spotlights rather than warm white to mimic daylight.
• Maintain the temperature: One of the best things about working at home is being able to choose the environment you prefer rather than sweating or shivering in an office that’s too hot or cold. I fitted a Daikin air source heat pump (£2,500), which is incredibly efficient in the cooler months, and cools the space down on hot days.
• Personalise your space: I enjoyed buying furniture I liked rather than utilitarian office pieces. The wool covering of my Eames-style chair is probably the least practical thing you could have in a shared office, but here it’s comfy and cosy. You can also add whatever brings you joy. I often swap around cushions and throws, pop some fresh flowers on my desk or have a fragrance diffuser on a shelf.
• Be practical: I have a video doorbell (as I can’t hear people from my office), an umbrella for darting back into the house in the rain, and motion-sensor outdoor lighting. There’s also an armoured data cable that runs from the house, a backup power supply, and Wi-Fi repeater discs to ensure I’m always connected.